Wilmington chef Julio Lazzarini may have gotten "Chopped" last night on the Food Network, but he emerged from the TV reality culinary competition as a true winner.
Lazzarini, owner of Orillas Tapas Bar & Restaurant on Market Street, showed poise, professionalism, dedication and respect for his craft. He made Delaware's culinary community extremely proud.
It was a pleasure to watch the 34-year-old, a student of nuevo Latino cuisine who once trained under celebrity chef Douglas Rodriguez, calmly move in the kitchen and perform with grace under pressure.
Lazzarini stayed true to his food, but he also thought fast on his feet. There was no trash talking from the chef - just a clear, steady aim to cook the best food he could.
At one point, Lazzarini said he was "definitely feeling the pressure of the clock." But he didn't let it show.
Indeed, his clear diligence even earned the admiration of judges Aaron Sanchez and Scott Conant, two very demanding chefs who are not often given to praise. They were clearly impressed by Lazzarini's talents.
"Chopped" is a TV cooking competition where four chefs are handed a basket of "mystery" ingredients that they have to turn into a meal in a short amount of time. At the end of each round, one chef is "chopped" until the last one standing collects $10,000.
The first round called for using beef shoulder (a tough cut that is better suited to long cooking periods), Asian fish sauce and canned pumpkin.
Lazzarini turned out a seared beef dish with a Korean inspired barbecue that Conant praised: "I think the sauce is special. The Korean barbecue was really tasty."
The second round required the use of flounder, watermelon, plantains and baby bok choy.
Lazzarini whipped up lemon glazed flounder. "Delicate, extremely flavorful," Sanchez cooed, though Lazzarini was chastised for having bones in his fish filet.
"You can tell he's trying very hard," Conant added.
Lazzarini moved onto the dessert round which called for a 30-minute dessert made with tomatillos, creme fraiche and plain doughnuts. Yowsa.
When competitor New York chef Marc Spooner sliced his finger - and began bleeding on the cutting board - it looked liked Lazzarini was walking away with the cash.
But the judges chose Spooner's doughnut fritters over Lazzarini's French toast inspired doughnut dessert.
Still, it was a very close battle and Conant said the two chefs were "neck and neck."
Last night, I dropped into Orillas before the show. Outside of the restaurant, Lazzarini was cooking a huge pan of paella for customers who had stopped in watch the show.
No amount of nudging or prodding would get him to tell us how he did, but Lazzarini had a huge smile on his face as he served up a wonderful paella made with mussels, clams and chorizo.
With Chef Lazzarini, it's all about the food. And that makes him - and his customers - winners.
5 comments:
Chef Julio truly was a winner in my eyes. It was obvious he had a clear vision of what he wanted to accomplish each round. His plates were beautiful and each of the meals looked delectable. I understand he had an issue with bones in one of his meals (the flounder), but overall I was impressed.
Perhaps his downfall, was using the doughnut in its original form and the fact that the dessert was heavy. In any event, he represented Wilmington proud.
I look forward to dining at Orillas again soon.
Hell of a job Julio! That was awesome.
I'm wondering if this competition was a distraction for Chef Julio as our last meal at Orillas was very disappointing. Service was chaotic, the meal was poorly paced, and our food and drink were not up to the quality we had experienced on our many previous visits. There didn't seem to be anyone in charge. I'm hoping things will be up to snuff with Chef Julio back.
I hope so. I had the octopus and fingerling potatoes tapas last night at Orillas as well as the paella. Wow oh wow. By the time I put down my fork, I was already planning a return trip
I would HIGHLY recommend the artichokes! Actually, there isn;t one item on the menu I haven't absolutely loved. (Orillas is well worth the trip to Wilmington!)
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